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   Summary and Book Reviews

Kingdom of Shadows: Summary and book reviews of Kingdom of Shadows by Alan Furst, plus links to an excerpt from Kingdom of Shadows and a biography of Alan Furst.

Kingdom of Shadows Kingdom of Shadows
by Alan Furst
Hardcover: Jan 2001,
239 pages.
Paperback: Oct 2001,
272 pages.

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Critics' Opinion:   good
Readers' Rating:  Five Stars
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Book Summary
award image A BookBrowse Favorite Book

In spymaster Alan Furst's most electrifying thriller to date, Hungarian aristocrat Nicholas Morath — a hugely charismatic hero — becomes embroiled in a daring and perilous effort to halt the Nazi war machine in eastern Europe.

Book Reviews


Good  Publisher's Weekly
The desperation of stateless people trying to escape the Nazi redrawing of the European map in the late 1930s pervades Furst's marvelous sixth espionage thriller. This is Furst's best book since The Polish Officer, and in it he proves himself once again a master of literary espionage.

Good  Library Journal
Furst has earned deserved acclaim for his lapidary espionage novels (The World at Night, Red Gold), set just before World War II. An exceptional piece of writing, with engaging characters and moments of sharp, unexpected violence, this is recommended for all public libraries.

Good  New York Times
Astonishingly, Alan Furst is not yet a household name. But perhaps the sixth of his supple, elegant European spy novels will do the trick, what with its beguiling sophistication, knowing political overview and utterly assured narrative tone. Mr. Furst is not one of those spy writers who have to strain, name-drop or cook up mind-boggling feats to assure the reader that his hero is an interesting man.

Good  New York Times Book Review
Furst's latest and most impressive novel, Kingdom of Shadows, offers several forays across the political quicksands of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and France just before the Second World War. This densely atmospheric thriller begins in the gilded world of the Parisian haute bourgeoisie, where men look through sheer curtains at the ''ecstatic gray light of a rainy Parisian morning,'' drink from bottles of 1922 Echézeaux and employ the services of courtesans with names like Mimi Moux... Kingdom of Shadows is undeniably intelligent and harrowing.

Very Good  Boston Globe
Furst's most richly textured and, arguably, finest espionage novel.

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